BY ADRIAN P. NEMES III
The number of policemen infected by the coronavirus disease 2019 rose to 70 as the surveillance testing ended yesterday.
P/Lt. Liberty Indiape, spokesperson of the Bacolod City Police Office, said the policemen are from the 10 precincts and the BCPO headquarters.
Indiape said many of these policemen were asymptomatic while others exhibited mild symptoms.
She said about 700 policemen have been tested at the Bacolod Respiratory Out-patient Center and at the Philippine Red Cross.
Indiape said there is no need to ask for additional augmentation from other police units as their personnel are enough to maintain the peace and order situation in Bacolod.
Many of the Covid-infected policemen are set to be released from the isolation facilities this week since they have already recuperated.
Meanwhile, executive director Em Ang of the Emergency Operations Center said yesterday that they are all set to start the mass vaccination program at SM City Mall today.
Ang said the coronavirus vaccination team inspected and set up the vaccination area that is located at the lobby of SM Cinema, south wing of the mall, on May 1.
She said the remaining health facility frontliners, senior citizens, and persons with co-morbidities will be accommodated, based on a first-come, first-served sequence, in the order that their registration came into the city’s database.
Ang added that those who intend to avail of free Covid vaccines from the city government may register online through tinyurl.com/bcdceironline.
As of May 1, Bacolod City logged 51 new cases, zero new recovery, and nine new deaths, the Department of Health in Western Visayas reported.
Of the 51 new cases, 50 were local transmissions and one was a locally stranded individual. Of the total 7,525 cases in Bacolod, 873 are active infections, the DOH 6 added.*
